Access Control Installer vs. Locksmith | Boise Guide

When a business in Boise, Meridian or Nampa wants key card or fob entry, the first question is often who to call: a locksmith or an access control company. The answer is usually both, for different parts of the same door. This guide splits a commercial door into its parts and shows which trade normally owns each one, so you can scope the job, compare quotes and avoid the gap where nobody owns the lock.

Quick answer: An access control installer installs the electronic side of a door: the card or fob reader, the controller, the cabling, the lock power supply and the electric hardware (electric strikes, maglocks, request-to-exit devices and door position switches). A locksmith handles the mechanical side: keys, lock cylinders and master key systems. Some hardware, such as electrified locksets, closers and exit devices, can fall to either trade or to the door supplier, so the door hardware schedule should name an owner for every item.

Who does what on a commercial door

The table below shows the usual split on commercial jobs. "Other trade" covers the general contractor, the door and hardware supplier, the electrician and the fire alarm contractor. Where the answer changes from project to project, the table says so.

Component	Access control installer	Locksmith	Other trade
Card / fob / phone reader	Installs, wires and programs	No	No
Controller or door hub	Installs, wires and programs	No	No
Cabling from the door to the controller	Pulls, terminates and tests	No	GC provides access to walls and ceilings
Electric strike	Installs and wires	Sometimes	Varies; confirm in the door hardware schedule
Maglock	Installs and wires	Rarely	Fire alarm contractor ties in the release
Request-to-exit (REX) device	Installs and wires	No	No
Door position switch	Installs and wires	No	Door supplier may need to prep the frame
Door closer	No	Sometimes	Varies; confirm in the door hardware schedule
Lock cylinder and keys	No	Yes	No
Master key system	No	Yes	No
Electrified lockset or exit device	Wires and programs	Sometimes installs	Varies; confirm in the door hardware schedule
Fire alarm release tie-in	Provides the release input	No	Fire alarm contractor connects; the AHJ approves
Lock power supply	Installs and wires	No	Electrician provides the line-voltage circuit

The safest rule: if a part carries a signal or low voltage power back to the access control system, it belongs on the access control installer's scope. If a part turns with a key, it belongs to the locksmith. Everything in between gets assigned by name in the door hardware schedule. For the line-voltage side, see our guide on low voltage contractor vs. electrician.

Why the split matters

Most problems on card-access doors come from the handoff between trades. A strike is ordered for the wrong lock, the frame is never prepped for a door position switch, or a maglock is installed with no plan for the fire alarm release. Each of those means a return trip, a frame change or a failed inspection.

Egress: people must always be able to get out. Maglocks need a code-compliant egress release, and the AHJ has the final say on what that is for each door.
Fail-safe vs. fail-secure: a fail-safe lock unlocks when power drops; a fail-secure lock stays locked from the outside but still lets people out. The choice affects which strike or lock is ordered.
Fire alarm: coordinate the fire alarm tie-in with the fire alarm contractor and the AHJ before the doors are ordered.
Keys still matter: most card-access doors keep a key cylinder for override, so the master key system still needs an owner.

Office suite vs. warehouse vs. retail

Office suite

A typical office suite has a front entry with a reader and an electric strike, plus a server or records room with its own reader. The existing lever lock usually stays, so free exit remains mechanical and the locksmith keeps the cylinders. The access control installer adds the reader, strike, door position switch, REX and cable back to the network room.

Warehouse

Warehouses add man doors next to the docks, interior parts or tool rooms, and gates. Hollow metal frames and long cable runs are common, and gates often need outdoor-rated readers and conduit. Overhead dock doors are usually controlled separately from the card-access man doors. Keyed padlocks and cabinet locks stay with the locksmith.

Retail

Retail entries are often aluminum storefront doors with narrow stiles, which limits the strike and lock choices. Back-of-house doors, stock rooms and cash offices are the usual card-access doors, and storefront hardware changes may need the door supplier or locksmith. Agree on who changes the storefront lock before the reader is mounted.

What to ask each trade

Ask the access control installer

Which platforms do you install, and why do you recommend one for this building?
Does your own crew install the electric strikes, maglocks and REX devices, or is that subcontracted?
Who pulls and tests the cable to each door?
How will maglocks release on fire alarm, and who coordinates with the fire alarm contractor?
Who programs credentials, schedules and access levels, and how are we trained to manage them?

Ask the locksmith

Will the existing cylinders work with the new strike or lock, or do they change?
How will the master key system cover card-access doors for override?
Who keeps the key records, and how are keys issued and returned?

Ask the general contractor or door supplier

Does the door hardware schedule list every opening, with an owner for each item?
Are frames prepped for strikes and door position switches before they ship?
When can low voltage cable and backboxes go in before drywall?

How XXL IT Services handles it

XXL IT Services is a commercial low voltage contractor based in Meridian, Idaho, in business since 2006, BBB Accredited with an A+ rating, and a certified UniFi installer. We install access control with UniFi Access and ProdataKey PDK. Our own crew installs the readers, controllers, cabling, electric strikes, maglocks, request-to-exit devices and door hardware, and we also install biometric readers and video intercoms.

We are not a locksmith. Mechanical keys, cylinders and master keying stay with your locksmith, and we coordinate with them when a lock has to change. On new construction and tenant improvements we work for the general contractor from the door hardware schedule. We serve Boise, Meridian, Nampa, Eagle, Kuna, Caldwell, Star, Garden City and Middleton, commercial work only. See our commercial access control installation page for what we install, or the UniFi Access vs. PDK comparison to pick a platform.

Frequently asked questions

Who installs key card access on a commercial door, a locksmith or an access control installer?

An access control installer installs the electronic side: the reader, the controller, the cabling, the lock power supply and the electric hardware such as electric strikes, maglocks and request-to-exit devices. A locksmith handles mechanical keys, cylinders and master key systems. Many doors need both trades, so they should coordinate through the door hardware schedule.

Can a locksmith install access control?

Some locksmiths install standalone electronic locks or keypad locks, and some offer networked access control. A networked system with readers, controllers, cabling back to a network room and integration with cameras is low voltage work. Ask any trade which platforms they install, who pulls the cable and who programs the system before you hire them.

Do I still need a locksmith after installing key card access?

Usually, yes. Most card-access doors keep a mechanical lock with a key cylinder for override, and the building still has keyed doors, cabinets and rooms without readers. Your locksmith keeps managing the cylinders, keys and master key system. The access control installer manages the readers, credentials and electric hardware.

Who wires the maglock to the fire alarm?

The access control installer wires the maglock and its power supply and provides the release input. The fire alarm contractor provides the fire alarm relay output and connects it. The authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) decides what the code requires for that door. Maglocks need a code-compliant egress release, so settle this before the door is ordered.

Who installs the door closer and the door position switch?

The door position switch is usually part of the access control scope because it tells the system whether the door is closed, held open or forced. Door closers are door hardware and are usually supplied and installed by the door supplier, the hardware installer or the general contractor. Responsibility varies by project, so confirm it in the door hardware schedule.

Does XXL IT Services do locksmith work?

No. XXL IT Services is a commercial low voltage contractor. Our own crew installs UniFi Access and ProdataKey PDK systems, including electric strikes, maglocks and request-to-exit hardware. Mechanical keys, cylinders and master keying stay with your locksmith, and we coordinate with them when a lock has to change.

Talk to us about your doors

Call (208) 328-4500 (also our 24/7 emergency line), email [email protected], or send us your door list. If you already have a door hardware schedule, send it along and we will mark which items fall on the access control side.

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Access Control Installer vs. Locksmith: Who Does What on a Commercial Door